


Protection Racket

by Ellislash (MintSharpie)



Category: Left 4 Dead 2
Genre: Character Study, Children, Cute, Family, Female Character of Color, Gen, Mischief, Sister-Sister Relationship, Sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-27
Updated: 2016-02-27
Packaged: 2018-05-23 14:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6119635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintSharpie/pseuds/Ellislash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five-year-old Rochelle makes a mess, and there's a price to pay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protection Racket

Leaving a trail of footprints in paint didn’t make for a particularly successful escape, no matter how good the hiding place it led to, so now there was an unnaturally pink towel crumpled on the bathroom floor. But there wasn’t time to hide the evidence before the crime scene in the den was discovered.

“ _Rochelle Jasmine Pierre!_ ”

Rochelle winced at her mother’s voice and abandoned the thought of washing her hands in the sink. She wiped them on her shirt instead - the garment, also being pink, provided ample camouflage. Still scrubbing furiously, she scampered to her room and threw herself onto her bed. A few action figures and some careful self-arrangement created the illusion that she’d been playing innocently for quite some time.

“Girl, you’re gonna be prayin’ for a spankin’ in a minute...”

The door swung open, hard, to reveal a furious Mrs. Pierre. She wore her art smock over old clothes, and her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail. She needed to get it straightened again soon - the untamed baby-hair frizz around her face made her look even more disheveled and irate.

“What’re you talking about, mama?” Rochelle squeaked. “What’d I do?”

“You know good and all what you did! I’ve been workin’ on that piece for a _month_ , and now there’s a thirty-dollar tube of paint all over it!” Uh-oh. Her hands were on her hips. “Rochelle, you are grounded for a _week_.”

“What! No! I didn’t do anything!” Rochelle cried, pushing herself up to her knees. “Mama, I didn’t -”

“ _Three_  weeks for lyin’! And no field trips until Thanksgiving.”

Tears were forming in Rochelle’s eyes when a small, serious voice came from just outside the room.

“Ro didn’t do it, mama. I did.”

Mrs. Pierre rounded on Janet, who stood in the hall holding the stained towel with bright pink hands.

“I’m sorry. It was an accident.”

“Janet?” Their mother sounded entirely taken aback. “ _You_?”

“Yes’m.”

Rochelle stared at her sister, who with perfect self-control didn’t even glance at her. Instead she appeared thoroughly cowed, eyes downcast.

“I... Then...” Mrs. Pierre looked back at her younger child, suspicious; but the evidence was irrefutable. She turned her glare to Janet. “You’re goin’ into fifth grade next month, you oughta know better! Grounded ‘til school starts. No desserts. No field trips 'til spring.”

“Yes’m. I’m sorry.”

“And you’re cleanin’ it all up.”

“Yes’m.”

Mrs. Pierre stalked out of the room with the expression that said she had a headache. Janet remained still until they heard another door close, then gave her baby sister an extremely significant look.

“You owe me, Jazz.”

“ _Thank you_ ,” Rochelle whispered earnestly. “I could have _died_!”

“I want all your Halloween candy. And you gotta give me your allowance until Christmas. And I get to go first at everything.”

“Aww, Jannie...” Rochelle began in a whine.

“And you gotta help me clean up.”

Rochelle prepared to argue, but then caught the steel in her sister’s eye. She knew exactly what Janet could do to make her life miserable; her five-year-old’s judgment weighed her options, and found the harsh terms of the bargain preferable to an eternity of punches and nasty pranks.

“...okay.”

She clambered off the bed and sulked obediently to her sister’s side. A gentle elbow to her ribs made her look up.

“Don’t make me save you again,” Janet said sternly, and gave her a soft smile. “Cuz I will.”


End file.
